Sabarimala: Three activists, media photographer injured in Dharna

The Cantonment police have registered a case in connection with the incident.

A KSU worker who was injured in the lathicharge. The activists took out a march to the Secretariat to express solidarity with the UDF MLAs staging fast in front of the Assembly on the Sabarimala issue PICS | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM :  A march taken out by the KSU to the Secretariat on Saturday demanding government’s intervention in ending the dharna by three UDF MLAs in front of the Assembly, turned violent. Three activists and a media photographer were injured in police lathi charge and they were admitted to hospital. The MLAs have been on stir for the past seven days pertaining to the Sabarimala issue.  

Jinal Kumar, photo editor at Veekshanam
daily, who was injured in the police
lathicharge on KSU workers in front
of the Secretariat on Saturday

The activists clashed with the large police posse, a short while after the protest began, around noon, by burning Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in effigy.

When the activists began to jump the police barricade, the police used water cannon three times. Later, they resorted to lathicharge, injuring activists and a photographer of ‘Veekshanam’ daily, Jinal Kumar.  

While most of the activists fled the scene, some persisted with their attempts to remove the barricade. After a while, the police managed to disperse the crowd.

The Cantonment police have registered a case in connection with the incident. The accused have been booked under Sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 188, 283 and 332 of the Indian Penal Code, that pertains to various offences, including unlawful assembly, rioting and voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servants from discharging their duty, an official said.